The Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies
The UNECE acts as a convening platform to support partnerships among standards agencies, and between standards bodies and decision-makers in business, administrations, donor agencies and local communities.
The UNECE Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation & Standardization Policies works to lower costs, facilitate trade and improve access to critical technologies, while protecting the health, safety of consumers, workers, and preserving our natural environment.
It also works:
- To promote the use of standards by policy-makers and business as a tool for reducing technical barriers to trade, promote increased resilience to disasters, foster innovation and good governance.
- To promote the use of standards in the implementation of UN-wide goals, including the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the Sendai framework for action.
The Working Party meets annually and throughout the year activities take place through its subsidiary
bodies. These work to:
- To develop guidance and best practice for an improved management of hazards that have the potential to affect the quality of
products and services, and/or cause harm or damage to people, the environment, property and immaterial assets” (the Group of Experts on
Risk Management in Regulatory Systems (UNECE GRM).
- To share best practice on risk-based market surveillance, inspections and regulatory enforcement (The Group of Experts on Market Surveillance or MARS Group);
- To develop - and promote the uptake by national authorities - of common regulatory frameworks in specific sectors, such as, for example, workplaces where explosions may occur (SIEE initiative);
- To develop training materials on standards and standards-related issues, and promote education on standards and standards related issues (Initiative on Education on Standards and Standards Related Issues)
- To enhance the contribution of standards to Gender Equality and to the achievement of SDG Goal 5 on Empowering Women & Girls (Initiative on Gender- Responsive Standards